As a trust lawyer in Santa Clara, I often hear this question from homeowners who want to protect their assets but worry that their mortgage might stand in the way. The good news? Having a mortgage doesn’t prevent you from putting your home in a trust, and the process is typically straightforward. The Truth About […]

As a trust lawyer in Santa Clara, I often encounter clients who need to make significant changes to their trust but aren’t sure whether to amend it or start from scratch. This is where a trust restatement comes in—a powerful but often overlooked solution that offers the best of both worlds. What Is a Trust […]

Let’s face it: we can’t always pick our family members. While we love our children unconditionally, their choice of spouse might sometimes leave us… shall we say, less than thrilled. It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when you’re planning your estate. You want to leave an inheritance to your child, but what if their […]

When it comes to estate planning, life insurance trusts are like the Swiss Army knives of the financial world—versatile and useful—but often misunderstood. As a , I’ve helped numerous families navigate the complexities of these powerful tools. Let’s break down what a life insurance trust is and when it might be the right move for […]

As a parent, you’re constantly juggling tasks, responsibilities, and decisions. It’s easy to delay thinking about things that don’t seem immediate or urgent, like creating an estate plan. But here are five compelling reasons why making your estate plan with a will lawyer in Santa Clara should be a top priority: Blended Family Fairness If […]

When creating a trust, one important decision to make is who will act as the trustee. Choosing to name a non-family third party as the trustee of your trust can provide several benefits. Here, we will explore why this option may be considered when deciding who will oversee the trust. Objective Decision Making A third-party […]

A living trust is a valuable tool in estate planning. You can manage it while you’re alive while passing control of your affairs to someone else upon your incapacity or death. The assets in the trust can also avoid probate, allowing successor trustees immediate access to the funds they need without going through a long, […]

There are many reasons why some people might find the idea of a handwritten will attractive. Also known as holographic wills, handwritten wills might seem cheaper and simpler to execute than non-holographic wills. However, handwritten wills are not legally valid in every state. Furthermore, in the states that do recognize handwritten wills, there are a […]

A common question that Silicon Valley trust lawyers are asked when helping clients create their estate plans is, “How hard will it be to sell my house if I put it in a trust?” The simple answer is that it’s not hard at all. In most cases, the grantor (or trust maker) also serves as […]

Stepping into the role of Successor Trustee after the incapacitation or death of a loved one is a big job that can feel scary and overwhelming for someone who has never served in such capacity. San Francisco Bay Area Trust lawyers understand that it can be equally unnerving to learn that the Trustee can be […]